Merging Soap Films

High speed video recordings reveal complex fluid mechanics in the region where two soap bubbles merge. Here, surface tension is driving a very rapid flow into artistic patterns. Although the geometry of the problem is circularly symmetric, we observe intricate instabilities giving rise to petals, fractal-like structures and streaks that emerge within 100 microseconds after merging.

Usage Information

This image may be freely reproduced with the accompanying credit: Cavitation Lab @ NTU